Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-11-25

will be remembered, introduced last
year into the Upper House of Con-
gress bill providing for the absolute
exclusion of the Chinese from enter
ing the Union. That bill was de-
feated. The Senator announces his
intention to re-introduce this bill at
the approaching session of Congress.
That the Chinese should be totally
excluded from this country is 81 con-
summation most devoutly to be wished.
But it must be called to mind in this
present instance that there is treaty
between the United States and the
Chinese Empire. That treaty was
made nearly ten years ago, and it is
under the provisions of that contract
that the present Restriction Act was
passed. Some of us have not
forgotten that at the time
when this law passed, just
after the signing OF the treaty, it was
proposed to extend the restriction of
the immigration of Mongol laborers to
a period OF twenty years. A law to
that effect passed the two Houses OF
Congress, but it was vetoed by Re-
publican President, Mr.. Arthur. The
reasons for this procedure, as as
signed by the Chief Magistrate in his
message to Congress, was that the
treaty provided for the operation of
such a law only within the bounds OF
a reasonable time. Twenty years,
Mr.. Arthur held to be an unreasona-
BILE period. The measure could not
be passed over the Presidents veto,
and therefore it's action was limited to
ten years; that being, if We recall the
circumstances Alright, clearly outlined
in the veto message as the
longest time to which Mr.. Arthur was
willing to have the provisions of the
Act apply. The term to which the
law is limited is soon to expire, and
what will be the status OF the ques-
ton at the end of the ten years is
question which may involve the ne
cessity of careful consideration.
We are all SO deeply inter ested in
the solving of this difficulty, and, at
least on this coast, we are all SO unani-
nous in our desire to solve it in
most heroic measure, that there is
temptation to jump to conclusions.
The treaty.making power is lodged in
the Senate. That body, as at
present constituted, is in effect some
what oligarchical. The Senate does
not reflect the popular will. The CEN
tralizing of power is pet Republican
doctrine, and that party has been wont
to claim superior virtue in treaty
as compared with mere Act of Con-
gress. The genius of American insti
tutions would lead to different con-
clusion. The people are the source of
all sovereign power, and, therefore,
the Acts of Congress, passing both the
more popular and the more oigarchi-
cal branches of the Legislature, and
then receiving the assent of
the Chief Magistrate, it would APP
pear should be able to override any
measure emanating from any other
source. But that is an old doctrine,
long since set at naught by the party
which has held sway for so many
years. In view of these facts, it looks
as if Senator Mitchell's device, at this
time. is not meant to be matter of
good faith. 1t looks much like very
shrewd political dodge on the part OF
the webf0ot Senator. Mitchell is
smooth and far-seeing in his schemes.
He is just the man to construct
Trojan horse, armed within its hol-
low sides with all sorts of back-action
results. And he is just the man then
to induce the victims of his scheme to
take the monster into camp. In the
the case of the slick Senator from the
land of Beotian fogs, tits we'll to recall
the fact that he is really taking up in
this instance a bit of Democratic
policy, which his entire party lin all
parts OF the Nation excepting the Pa
cific coast, has opposed; and when he
comes to us with an olive branch. a
flag of truce, or an Offering in hand,
We should not fail to remember the
Greeks wooden horse, and the wis
dom begot of experience which taught
the Trojans to "fear the Greeks, even
when they come bringing gifts"